Judges 16:21 (GNV)

Passage

Therefore the Philistims tooke him, and put out his eyes, and brought him downe to Azzah, and bounde him with fetters: and hee did grinde in the prison house.

Nearby Context

Judges 16:19 And she made him sleepe vpon her knees, and she called a man, and made him to shaue off the seuen lockes of his head, and shee began to vexe him, and his strength was gone from him.

Judges 16:20 Then she said, The Philistims be vpon thee, Samson. And hee awoke out of his sleepe, and thought, I will go out now as at other times, and shake my selfe, but he knewe not that the Lord was departed from him.

Judges 16:21 Therefore the Philistims tooke him, and put out his eyes, and brought him downe to Azzah, and bounde him with fetters: and hee did grinde in the prison house.

Judges 16:22 And the heare of his head began to growe againe after that it was shauen.

Judges 16:23 Then the Princes of the Philistims gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice vnto Dagon their god, and to reioyce: for they said, Our god hath deliuered Samson our enemie into our handes.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "philistims", "tooke", "eyes", "brought", "downe", "azzah", and "bounde". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "philistims", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "Then she said The Philistims be vpon..." into verse 22's "And the heare of his head began...", so "therefore" and "philistims" belong inside that flow. In Judges context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "therefore" and "philistims" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.